Inland Taipan — printable fact sheet
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Inland Taipan
Oxyuranus microlepidotus
Oxyuranus microlepidotus of Australia's arid channel country has, by murine LD50, the most toxic venom of any land snake - a single average bite delivers enough to kill many tens of thousands of mice, roughly fifty times more potent than a cobra's - and yet it has never killed a…
Did you know?
- Despite its deadly venom, there are virtually no recorded human fatalities from Inland Taipan bites due to its remote habitat and secretive nature.
- The inland taipan was described in 1879, then effectively lost to science for 90 years until it was rediscovered in 1972 - remarkable for the most venomous snake on Earth. Its venom contains a spreading factor, hyaluronidase, that accelerates absorption of the neurotoxins through tissue, which is why it acts so fast. It follows the boom-and-bust cycles of the long-haired rat, and taipan numbers rise and crash with rodent plagues.
What I learned
Draw the inland taipan
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